Board game apparatus



Mayvll, 1965 G. cATEs BOARD GAME APPARATUS Filed Sept. 12. 1961 the previous numbers move out of sight.

United States Patent() 3,183,003 BOARD GAME APPARATUS Gilbert Cates, 2550 Independence Ave., Riverdale 63, N.Y. Filed Sept. 12, 1961, Ser. No. 138,232 3 Claims. (Cl. 273-130) This invention relates to a board game apparatus involving a combination of mental skill and manual manipulation.

More specifically, the game of this invention, entitled Square Off, involves a board with numbered squares intended for two players. The object of this game is to force ones opponent to select four squares in a diagonal, vertical or horizontal row. The board, which is square in coniiguration, is made of wood, plastic, cardboard or any other suitable material and consists of sixteen squares each having an open center portion. To the underside of the board is affixed a layer or sheet of transparent material, Plexiglas for example, t-o form windows with the open center portion of each square. Beneath this layer are four tracks, one for each vertical row of four squares. Strips bearing a series of numbers are inserted in the four tracks and are simultaneously movable vertically by suitable drive means such as a friction drive unit or a rack and pinion device. Each of these strips of numbers consists of at least eight numbered squares and are half the size of each board square. This sizing arrangement provides a space between each vertically adjacent pair of squares sufficient in Size to allow one numbered square to remain out of sight. After each game the numbers showing in each window are changed by the drive means. The unseen numbers then appear for the next game while Beneath the tracks and drive means is a backing layer which also acts as a base thus allowing the board to be placed on a table, floor or other suitable surface or hung on a wall, from a ceiling, etc.

In playing Square Oif, each player alternately chooses a square which he designates as his by swinging a colored bullseye, red and blue are chosen for the illustration but any colors can be used, into place over the number appearing in his chosen square. Each chosen square must be adjacent to one which the player has previously selected. Each player thus chooses squares until either all the squares have been chosen or until one player has no adjacent squares left to choose. In the latter case, said player is considered the loser. In the former case, there are two possibilities, either one player has been forced to choose four vertically, horizontally or diagonally adjacent squares and is thus considered the loser, or, neither player has been forced so to choose and thus there is a tie. In both cases, the winning player receives the sum total of the numbers in his chosen squares as his score while in the tie game both receive such a score. To further enhance the game, transparent color markers are provided for the purpose of being removably attached to any numbered square or squares thereby doubling or tripling the score of the player who chooses that square and wins.

The accompanying drawings illustrate a preferred embodiment of the aforementioned invention.

FIG. l is a plan View of the board game apparatus.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of one square of the board game apparatus.

FIG. 3 is an inverted sectional View taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a sectional veiw taken along line 4'4 of FIG. 2. Y

FIG. 5 is a plan view of one of the strips of numbered squares, and is a plan view of the removable transparent marker.

3,183,003 Patented May 11 41965 ice j The squares 10', 10", 10"', 10 of the board game apparatus are shown in FIG. 1. The window 11 is formed by the alilxing of a sheet of transparent material 21 to the underside of the squared board 10 thus covering the open portion 12 so that numbered square 13 and all other numbered squares such as 13a, 13b, 13C will be protected when occupying the space beneath the open portion at the center of each square. Knob 14 is connected to a friction drive unit 14a, 1417 whereby four strips of numbered squares 15 are simultaneously moved vertically. The board game apparatus is shown on its backing layer 16. Knobs 17a and 17b control red bullseye 18a and blue bullseye 181;, respectively. 18h is shown placedV over numbered square 13'thus designating square 10 as belonging to the player who has selected blue as his color marker. Bullseyes 18a and 18b are attached to like pendulum-type shafts 19.

One of the four tracks 20 is shown in FIG. 3 in conjunction with shaft 14a which is controlled by knob 14, said shaft having four rubber rims 14h on it, one for each strip of numbers. The strips of numbered squares 15 are shown as rubber backed at 15a, this being the preferred form when used in conjunction with the illustrated friction drive means. As knob 14 is turned, the rubber rims 14b on shaft 14a grip the rubber backings 15a on strips 15 thus causing the strips to move vertically. In the illustrated friction drive unit there are four rubber rims 14b, altogether, the other three being located similarly at adjacent horizontal squares. The Plexiglas sheet 21 is affixed to the underside of board 10 by any suitable means and -thus provides a Window through which numb-ers 13, 13a, 13b, 13e and the rest are seen.

A transparent marker 22 may be removably attached to any number 13, as a bonus. This marker could double or triple the score of the winning player if it were among his chosen squares.

Although each individual game has a winner, unless a tie occurs, a total score of 250 or 50() is considered gamef That is, the iirst player to get 250 or 500 points, depending on pre-game agreement, is considered the Winner.

Squares Oif as explained herein may not only be played by adults and children alike but may also be used as a basis for prizes on give-away TV programs. In the latter case, a system of champion and Challengers may be set up, in addition to the obvious method of selecting pairs of players by any desired means to compete for prizes on the basis of one game, a total score of 250, a total score of 500, where each square has the value of a dierent prize, the winning player keeping all the prizes represented by lthe squares he has designated as his.

What is claimed is:

1. A board game apparatus comprising a square wooden board provided with sixteen squares arranged in four rows of four each of which has a window, a sheet of Plexiglas disposed on the underside of said board and constituting the window material, four rubber-backed YPlexiglas strips of numbered squares, four tracks, one

for each strip, vertically placed between said board and a backing layer drive means to move simultaneously all four strips vertically so that numbers appear at each window, a blue bullseye and a redjbullseye for each square each lof which is connected to a pendulum type shaft disposed between said sheet of Plexiglas and said numbered squares controllable by knobs in the upper corners of each such square so that the appropriately colored bullseye can be brought to a position over the number but beneath the Plexiglas window to designate the playerto whom the square belongs, and transparent markers which are removably placed on numbers on the strips to double and triple the total score of the winner if their square is chosen by him.

2. A board game apparatus comprising a square board provided with sixteen squares arranged in four rows of four each, each square having an open portion at its center, four tracks, one vertically located beneath each of the four rows of four-squares, a plurality of numbered squares arranged in strip form and which tit in said tracks, a drive means for simultaneously moving four strips of numbered squares vertically in their tracks in either direction so that numbers will appear at the open portion of each square, two differently colored transparent bullseyes swingably attached to each square, control means for swinging said bullseyes whereby through use of the control means a colored bullseye may be swung into place between the numbered square and the References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1/30 Guttman 40-65 4/60 Hooker et al 273-119 LOUIS R. PRINCE, Primary Examiner.

open portion of the board square, and a bottom backing 15 LEONARD W. VARNER, Examiner.

layer. 

2. A BOARD GAME APPARATUS COMPRISING A SQUARE BOARD PROVIDED WITH SIXTEEN SQUARES ARRANGED IN FOUR ROWS OF FOUR EACH, EACH SQUARE HAVING AN OPEN PORTION AT ITS CENTER, FOUR TRACKS, ONE VERTICALLY LOCATED BENEATH EACH OF THE FOUR ROWS OF FOUR SQUAREES, A PLURALITY OF NUMBERED SQUARES ARRANGED IN STRIP FORM AND WHICH FIT IN SAID TRACKS, A DRIVE MEANS FOR SIMULTANEOUSLY MOVING FOUR STRIPS OF NUMBERED SQUARES VERTICALLY IN THEIR TRACKS IN EITHER DIRECTION SO THAT NUMBERS WILL APPEAR AT THE OPEN PORTION OF EACH SQUARE, TWO DIFFERENTLY COLORED TRANSPARENT BULLSEYES SWINGABLY ATTACHED TO EACH SQUARE, CONTROL MEANS FOR SWINGING SAID BULLSEYES WHEREBY THROUGH USE OF THE CONTROL MEANS COLORED BULLSEYE MAY BE SWUNG INTO PLACE BETWEEN THE NUMBERED SQUARE AND THE OPEN PORTION OF THE BOARD SQUARE, AND A BOTTOM BACKING LAYER. 